As mentioned yesterday in my post on “Spoon” by Robert Stone, I’ve read another Nightjar chapbook for #ReadIndies and that’s a new work by M. John Harrison – “English Heritage”. I’ve rambled a lot in the past about MJH’s work as he’s been a favourite of mine since I first read his work in my twenties. I’ve been so happy that his work seems to be reaching such a wide audience lately, and was of course very pleased that another story was coming out via Nightjar. This is another short gem, 12 pages which are just as unsettling as was his previous offering, “Doe Lea“…

Amory, Owen and Max are staying at Swennay, a house belonging to Amory’s aunt, which is on the coast somewhere south of Padstow. Even in the early pages of the story, I was unsettled, as the house seemed somehow sprawling, undefined and a bit, well, *strange*… Amory and Owen are a couple, mismatched, and their stay at the house with Max (an old university friend of Owen’s) seems dogged by uncertainty. As the trio fly kites on the beach, explore the cliffs along the coastline, and tell ghost stories, there appears to be some kind of intruder around. On a trip out exploring a local ‘English heritage’ property, also called Swennay, there’s the impression of reality slipping out of alignment and characters becoming lost in an ordinary everyday setting.

From the very start of this story, it was most recognisably an MJH story and as always with Harrison there is a sense of the all the ordinariness we take for granted disappearing from under our feet and reality being some kind of illusion. There was a sense of unease running through the narrative, and again so much is left to the reader’s imagination which of course is a much more effective way to present a story which unsettles! Hints of the past leeching into the present lurk under the surface and as with “Spoon” from yesterday, I was glad to be reading this in the daylight. I said of “Doe Lea” that I would never get off a train if it stopped there; I’m also quite sure I’ll avoid visiting any property called Swennay…

So another winner from both M. John Harrison and Nightjar Press! Unfortunately this particular chapbook appears to be sold out, but hopefully the story will turn up in another of MJH’s story collections. As I mentioned yesterday, I do recommend Nightjar’s chapbooks and do have a browse through their website and take a chance on an author new to you – you should be in for an unsettling treat! 😀